Produced by the DPU, the content of this website has been presented by UN-Habitat and DFID on the occasion of the UN-Habitat World Habitat Day 2002.

The scenario explored in this website proposes that encouraging the development of "freedoms" for citizens can enhance their potential as agents of change towards reducing poverty. The work of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen - author of Development as Freedom - is here discussed.

A number of myths of urban development myths are critically discussed by David Satterthwaite in his contribution: The Ten and a Half Myths that May Distort Urban Policies.

This website contains a selection of publications and research documents as well as a list of hyperlinks to provide the reader with a comprehensive range of material and sources relating to urban development.

The content of this website stresses the value and therefore potentials of knowledge sharing in the sector of urban development in order to contribute to processes of national economic growth, social development, cultural diversity and the reduction of poverty.
It provides the urban professional with a wide range of material produced by international organizations, institutions, development think tanks, renowned scholars and opinion makers focusing on urban development.

The intended users of theses resources are the "drivers of urban change" urban professionals in the public and private sectors and civil society organizations at all levels.

The website, produced for DFID, contains more than 600 documents and 5 films on urban development organised according to themes and clusters of interlinked dimensions.

This website contains case studies focusing on slums of more than 30 cities around the world.

The reports were commissioned by UN-HABITAT/DPU and elaborated in support of the UN Global Report 2003.